UTA to close Toronto office

Booking agency UTA is shutting down its Toronto office according to a memo seen by Billboard. The agency’s Canadian base was part of The Agency Group which UTA acquired in 2015. Some of the Toronto agents that came to the business via that acquisition are expected to continue representing their individual rosters of artists outside the UTA empire.

UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer told staff in the memo: “After considering where we see the strongest prospects for continued growth, we have made the decision to take additional steps to focus our global music practice in the US and UK. This will mainly impact our colleagues in Toronto, where we will be closing that office over the coming months”.

He went on: “We’re taking this step after careful consideration, and we recognise it’s a tough one for our colleagues there. They are talented professionals who we’ve collaborated with for many years and who have contributed to our success. We are incredibly grateful to every one of them. But we believe this is the strongest and best strategic decision for UTA Music going forward, one that will allow us to put even greater focus on artist development and our full-service approach to our clients”.

While the specifics of UTA’s withdrawal from Toronto are not yet clear, it is thought that some of the agents based there will likely continue to book shows for their artists, either as an independent agent or by allying with another agency in Canada. Where that is the case, artists will presumably need to decide whether to stay with their specific agent, or ally with agents in UTA’s New York or London offices instead.

One of the key execs at The Agency Group and then UTA’s Toronto office, Jack Ross, told Billboard: “I’ve been representing a core group of Canadian artists for a long time and many of our clients have been with us for decades. I can’t speak for everybody, but I can tell you that I certainly plan to continue as an agent and continue representing my clients, continue to grow and develop agents and music industry professionals”.